Chapter 12: Bloodline Results Revealed
With the arrival of the weekend, the weekly popularity poll was finally here.
At this time, it was probably the most anxious and most excited moment for every manga artist and every editor.
Because at this time, the future direction of several manga would be determined.
Whether they would succeed in serialization or be quickly canceled later depended entirely on the weekly popularity poll.
A large part of the reason JUMP has lasted so many years is because of this voting system.
Although in many people's eyes, this system is indeed cruel, and many excellent manga have been canceled because of it, which is a great pity.
But it is precisely because of this system that JUMP has always maintained extremely high popularity and a continuous stream of excellent works.
"Editor Saiki! I've brought the new popularity chart!"
At this moment, the highly anticipated popularity poll was finally out. When Saiki Kuniharu received the report, he didn't dare to look at the information on it.
Although he had great confidence in the manga Naoto had drawn, having confidence was one thing; whether readers would buy into it was another.
After all, the tastes of adults and teenagers are completely different. Who knew if the manga they thought was good would appeal to those readers?
With a nervous and uneasy heart, Mr. Kuniharu slowly opened his eyes.
But when he saw the data on the report card, he was completely dumbfounded.
"Um, are you sure this data is correct?"
"Yes, they've double-checked it multiple times over there. It's definitely correct."
"It's truly unbelievable."
Mr. Kuniharu looked at the results for Bloodline, then excitedly jumped up.
Seeing Mr. Kuniharu like this, it should be clear by now: yes, Bloodline is currently receiving great reviews in JUMP.
Not only that, among the newly published manga, it became the undisputed number one, with twice the votes of Ashirogi Muto's "Second Earth," which was in second place. Even the established serialized manga couldn't compete.
The only one that surpassed Bloodline was a manga that had just been animated last week, and it only narrowly beat Bloodline by virtue of that advantage. (In the Bakuman worldview, although there are popular works like Death Note, Bleach, and One Piece, they are generally treated as non-existent due to being too exceptional.)
For a new manga to achieve such outstanding results, beating a multitude of other manga, was a miracle. Such a work is hard to find even once in ten years. This time, they had truly found a treasure.
Although it was only the first chapter, due to its packed plot, outstanding art style, likable character designs, and the suspense it left, everyone's evaluation of Bloodline was very high, and they were eager to read the subsequent story.
"Oh dear, I never expected it. We almost became number one this week. What a pity."
Although his heart was already blooming with joy, Mr. Kuniharu still feigned an expression of regret.
The other editors, who had already received their report cards, were so angry their teeth ached when they heard Mr. Kuniharu's words.
Such results were an incredibly wonderful start. It could even be called the strongest newcomer.
Yet this person was still acting dissatisfied. Was he looking for trouble?
But even with such envy, jealousy, and hatred, everyone still couldn't do anything about Mr. Kuniharu.
Who could blame him when Mr. Kuniharu's seniority was right there? Besides the Chief Editor and Deputy Editor, he was the most senior. If the Chief Editor or Deputy Editor were to leave, coupled with his achievement of discovering Naoto, he would probably be able to step right up.
So even though Mr. Kuniharu was so smug, everyone still dared not speak their anger.
"Senior Kuniharu! The Chief Editor wants you in his office!"
"Oh, coming!"
Upon hearing the Chief Editor call him, Mr. Kuniharu hummed a tune and skipped into the office.
A little while later, Naoto, who was deep in slumber, was woken up by the ringing of his phone.
"Hmm? Uncle Kuniharu, is something wrong?"
Seeing that it was a call from Mr. Kuniharu, although his head was still muddled, Naoto still picked up the phone and asked.
"I'm sorry, Naoto, I have some bad news to tell you."
On the other end of the phone, Mr. Kuniharu spoke to Naoto in a very regretful tone.
At this, Naoto instantly sobered up, hearing the unusual tone.
"Um, Uncle Kuniharu, are you saying... my manga it..."
At this moment, even if Naoto had the biggest heart, he couldn't help but feel a thump in his chest.
Good heavens, he had already boasted so much. Surely, he wouldn't let it completely flop, would he?
Although he had anticipated such a consequence, when it actually arrived, Naoto instantly felt his life turn gray.
"Well, I'm sorry, Naoto, I couldn't get you the next JUMP cover."
Just as Naoto thought his manga had been rejected, he didn't expect Mr. Kuniharu on the other end to suddenly change the subject, leaving Naoto completely bewildered.
"Hello? Naoto, are you listening? Hello!"
"Oh, oh, yes, yes, Uncle Kuniharu, are you talking about... the next JUMP cover?"
At this moment, Naoto still thought he had misheard. How could the JUMP cover have anything to do with him? Isn't that something for serialized manga artists?
"Oh, right, you don't know yet. Your manga, 'Bloodline,' has received rave reviews, even beating a large number of serialized manga artists. But unfortunately, you ran into a manga that just got an anime adaptation, so you only came in second place. Otherwise, the next JUMP cover would have been yours."
Naoto, somewhat disbelieving, pinched his cheek to confirm he wasn't dreaming, then became even more confused.
What did he mean, "only came in second place"?
No, should a matter like this be described with the word "only"?
Why did Mr. Kuniharu on the other end still seem a bit regretful?
This isn't right at all?!
Even after hanging up the phone, Naoto still looked at his ceiling with disbelief.
My goodness, a manga that had just finished its first chapter directly climbed to second place on the rankings.
How is this any different from a novel that just finished its first chapter on a certain platform becoming second on the click-through list?
Now, it's definitely time for serialization! Did he really become a serialized manga artist so easily? Did he become a JUMP serialized manga artist, something many manga professionals only dream of becoming?!
It wasn't until an hour later that Naoto finally came to his senses, confirming that he really wasn't dreaming.
Okay, it's certain now, his family crisis seems to have been resolved.